WHAT A FANTASTIC YEAR it has been for butterflies. The extended period of dry, warm weather during spring followed by a pretty good summer has produced large numbers of our more common species which have delighted us in gardens, parks and the wider countryside.
My own garden has produced 16 species so far, with holly blues and the whites doing very well feeding on the profusion of nectar-bearing flowers, particularly patches of bramble blossom that decorate the hedgerow. I’ve even been visited by a wonderful silver-washed fritillary that briefly basked in the dappled sunlight of the ‘woodland edge’.
This bucking of the general trend has been most welcome, because butterflies have been taking a beating over the past few decades with numbers of many species much reduced. It’s all been quite depressing, with the survival of several, including our very own swallowtail population, heavily reliant on intensive management of remaining fragmented habitat and/or ongoing reintroductions.
To counter the general gloom, there have happily been several gains over the past 20 years, probably driven by our subtly changing climate. For example, species such as the aforementioned silver-washed fritillary has returned to brighten up our woodlands, white admirals have become widespread while speckled wood, Essex skipper and brown argus have dramatically increased their range and abundance. To cap it all the purple emperor has returned. Things could be looking up.
Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
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Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...
Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning
Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.
Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love
Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.
Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto
For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.
TURNING 50
Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.
THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh
He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.
The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE
Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.
PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow
In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.
Friends
Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.
